Part 14 (2/2)
This set Alcuina's hed only a little less loudly Even sorins The others looked sha had been insulted, but because hein front of these people Conan one, both of you!” Alcuina commanded ”I'll wed neither a swine nor a bandit”
Totila whirled and stalked aith dignity, each sway of his cloak re the viewers of how many champions and chiefs he had slain Odoac scuttled after him, while the Cambres jeered
Alcuina stood close to Conan and spoke so only he could hear ”It is a great pity that Totila is such a beast He would treat my people like thralls Otherwise, baseborn or not, I'd wed hirinned down at her ”As you've said, a 226
227queen must choose her husband for political reasons Aye, he's a real rant him that much”
”Now you have seen him close up Think you still that you can defeat him?”
Conan looked insulted ”I said he was a realis this?” Odoac groused ”Clie!” He spat into the fire in disgust ”Why will they not coht us?”
”Because we outnumber them better than two to one,” said one of his men reasonably
”What kind of reason is that for true men?” Odoac snorted ”I am especially disappointed in my nephew The same blood fills his veins that fills mine You would think he'd show more spirit Perhaps some thrall crept into ot Leovigild He is a disgrace to the fa warrior hesitantly ”Soht, and they had seen hiainst the Tormanna”
”Indeed?” said Odoac ”Then why did we not see him today? Does he fear towarrior, ”that he fought Totila, and the king struck him down They think he is surely slain”
This puzzled Odoac Had he agreed to a condition that was already ame piece he had already taken? It infuriated Odoac to think so, and he did not want his ulled
”Itfool Totila slew My nepheould never have the courage to face such a man”
Before the fire had burnedstrode dralare and stood before the seated Odoac
”Greeting, Odoac We had a slow start today, but we began late Toarth in our hands ere the sun sets”
”And Alcuina in yours,” gruain,” Totila rejoined ”You, of course, shall have--”
”I knohat our agreement was,” Odoac broke in hastily ”Cos sat, passing the ale-horn back and forth, speaking of inconsequential things They put on a fine show of solidarity and friendshi+p for the asseood fellowshi+p was interrupted when a tall, slender figure stepped fro, Uncle”
Odoac's breathing becaild! You dare! You--you--”
Odoac struggled to his feet, fuians, struck duht, did notdeep into the capacious belly of the king Odoac looked down in disbelief at the shaft protruding from his stoed was a gush of dark blood Odoac collapsed sideways, and died
With a shout, freed froians228
229jumped to their feet Totila was quicker He whipped his sword out with unbelievable swiftness, and the long, heavy blade was descending through the skull of Odoac's murderer before the warriors were fully on their feet Those standing nearest were spattered with blood, brains, and teeth Then they were goggling onder at the inert forround Totila had er recognizable
”The boyWell”--he looked around at the warriors--”it see and his heir are both dead We shall burn them both at sunup, with full honors due royalty Will you see this fight to the end, withyet
”We were Odoac's sworn men,” said an elder war-rior, ”not yours”
”And as such you should have avenged him,” Totila said blandly ”Yet you did not I did Do you owe no service to your king's avenger?”
The Thungians turned sha too fast It was easiest to let custom decide their immediate actions ”Aye, that is true,” said the same elder
”Then follow me until this matter is settled Then we may sit and discuss the future of your tribe” With a scrap of coarse cloth, Totila cleaned off the bits of scalp and hair clinging to his sword He sheathed it, turned, and strode away, his cloak ofbehind hi now?” demanded someone
”We must talk of this,” said the elder warrior He looked down at the two hulks upon the ground ”What possessed the lad to do such a thing? Had he waited, Odoac could not have livedWe all loved the boy”
”Perhaps,” said a e at this alliance with the Torht have robbed him of his wits”
”We may never knohat happened,” said the elder, ”but noe are faced with a probleild were the last of the royal house We have no king now There are only Totila and Alcuina, and on the morrow Totila will have her”
They were all silent for a while The h in any case Conan, dressed in his black wolfskins and his face blackened with soot, snaked his way backward through the sparse brush of the plain toward the garth He could do this as silently as any Pict When he was far enough from the men, he rose and loped to a place at the base of the here a rope dangled from the palisade Swiftly as a squirrel, he pulled hiuards at the top Many of theat their places on the alk, lest the enemy try a surprise assault in the darkness
Conan quickly ed in The oldsome spell before his fire, but he looked up as Conan entered ”You were right,” Conan announced ”lilht”
”I knew it! Early this evening I felt his workings”
Conan briefly outlined the events he had observed since the fall of night, and the things he had heard spoken a the enemy
”I wondered hoould do it,” Rerin said ly ”It would have been difficult to do in battle, because few ild's head because it would soon have ceased to rese”
”No,” Conan corrected ”They have one; they just don't know it”
Slowly, both men smiled
fifteenWar of Oiree Rations When Totila rose and girded himself for battle it ith the deep satisfaction of ato full fruition He belted on his sword and strode from his tent
”Are the pyres ready?” he asked one of his reat heaps of wood rose above the plain near the Giants' Stones ”Then let us go and get these carcasses burned,” Totila said i to accoathered around the pyres, which they had toiled all night to build The Tor scant respect for the dead According to custom, those who had fallen in the battle the day before would be burned when the fighting was over, or carried home for burial if distance and transport permitted
lilht well, ?”
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